The venetian blind people are going to love the
recent large-scale study of U.S. teens which shows associations
between outdoor, artificial light at night and health outcomes. The
research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of
the National Institutes of Health, and is published in JAMA Psychiatry.
So, whether you live in a city like Newburgh or Poughkeepsie or in a
more rural setting like Campbell Hall, the issue remains the same. If outdoor
lights shine directly into your teen’s bedroom, it impacts on his ability to get a
restful night’s sleep. And a less than restful night’s sleep can lead to both
poor physical and mental health.
Editor’s Note: Before you read
the rest of the article, go into you teen’s bedroom and check if outdoor lights
are shining through his windows. Simple solution. Buy light blocking shades or
window covering. You may end up seeing a happier child.
READ MORE: Sleep is good medicine
Daily rhythms, including the circadian rhythms that drive our sleep-wake
cycles, are thought to be important factors that contribute to physical and
mental health. The presence of artificial light at night can disrupt these
rhythms, altering the light-dark cycle that influences hormonal, cellular, and
other biological processes. Researchers have investigated associations among
indoor artificial light, daily rhythms, and mental health, but the impact of
outdoor artificial light has received relatively little attention, especially
in teens.
This study data was collected from 2001 to 2004 as part of the National
Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). The dataset included
information about individual-level and neighborhood-level characteristics,
mental health outcomes, and sleep patterns for a total of 10,123 teens, ages 13
to 18 years old.
As part of in-person interviews for the NCS-A, the adolescents completed
a validated assessment to determine whether they met the diagnostic criteria
for various mental disorders. The teens also answered questions about their
sleep habits, reporting what time they usually went to bed and how many hours
of sleep they usually got on weeknights and on weekends.
To gauge the teens’ exposure to outdoor artificial light at night, the
researchers used satellite imagery data to calculate the average artificial
light levels for each census block group in the U.S. As expected, levels of
artificial light at night varied according to certain neighborhood-level
factors, such as urbanicity, socioeconomic levels, and population density.
Importantly, teens who lived in areas with high levels of artificial
light at night tended to report later weeknight bedtimes and shorter weeknight
sleep duration. The analyses showed that, on average, teens in areas with the highest
levels of outdoor light went to bed about 29 minutes later and got 11 fewer
minutes of sleep than did teens in areas with the lowest levels.
The data showed that greater levels of artificial light at night were
also associated with increased likelihood of having a mood disorder or anxiety
disorder. Specifically, teens who lived in areas with higher levels of
artificial light at night were more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for
bipolar disorder or specific phobias.
The study asserts that although environmental light exposure is only one
factor in a more complex network of influences on sleep and behavior, it is
likely to be an important target for prevention and interventions in adolescent
health